Piko BR64 ESU weirdness...

Ianjd59

Ianjd59

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I've had my Piko BR64 running on an ESU decoder/sound card quite happily for a few months now, & very pleased with it I was. Until I decided to change loco number away from the the default channel recently. This I did with my Sprog box as I've done many times before, however, ever since then the smoke unit doesn't work (I have put a meter across it, & it's fine!), plus the 'gutter lights' which are a feature on this loco flash continuously (should be solidly on) whenever they're turned on.
I can't imagine where you would find the settings that have these effects, I wondered if anyone out there could point me in the right direction?

Could I add at this point that when I changed the channel/ID, I didn't even visit any other 'pages', merely changed the channel/ID number, saved settings & out!

Cheers, Ian.
 
Maybe a stupid question from a non-DCC user (even have manual points), but have you tried switching back to the default channel to see what happens?
 
hmm... it does sound like somehow you managed to write to other CVs as well as the address CV? You didn't hit "Write all sheets" by accident?

Was the LokSound supplied with the BR64 or fitted afterward? Ideally you need a detailed list of how the CVs were originally set up.

The first thing I do with any decoder is take a full read of all CVs and save these in DecoderPro as as baseline roster entry, before any tinkering and just in case the decoder dies in the future (you've then got everything needed to restore to a replacement decoder). It's a bit more complicated if its a sound decoder as DP probably won't read the sound file and related CVs, but certainly it would save the lighting function mapping etc.


I guess you'll have to go take a look at those other CV pages! The manual for a LokSound decoder should give you the detail of CV mapping for effects etc., but you need to know how it was set up in your loco.

PS - I don't have any LokSound decoders so no first hand experience. I do use a few LokPilots. My only sound decoders are QSI.
 
Thanks for that, all reasonable points. To answer in 'more or less' order.
No, I didn't write all sheets, I've been caught out by that in the past, so I'm very careful with that one. I fitted the decoder, & as mentioned, the loco has been running perfectly for several months, it still runs perfectly speed control, front & rear lights & sound wise, all sound functions work perfectly. It's just the smoke unit & the gutter lights that don't work properly. To be absolutely sure I took the smoke unit out, metered it & connected it directly to a PSU, & it's fine.
Foolishly I didn't back up the settings before I used it (20/20 hind-sight is a wonderful thing). The decoder came pre-programmed for the BR64, so I didn't have to change anything, it worked perfectly out of the box. I bought the decoder from Dragon G-Scale, ( it only took 3 months to arrive!), so there's little or no hope of any support there. I know one of the contributors here that used to be Massoth only, now sells ESU, so I think I'll contact him for ideas. As you say, it would seem that some CVs have been changed, it's just a matter of working out which ones! I thought that as the decoder was pre-programmed, I'd be able to find a full CV list on the ESU website, but so far this has proved elusive!
 
Hi Ian,

I am that contributor you speak of :)

I take it your decoder is a LokSound 4 ?

Was it sound 56544?

Some details here....
http://www.esu.eu/nc/en/downloads/sounds/generation-4/loksound-v40/

I will try (at some point) to load these sounds into a decoder and generate a CV list for you to check against it
 
If it's a standard file doing a reset should solve it as it won't affect the sound file. I've found ESU decoders are prone to odd faults that when you compare cv lists they show nothing wrong! A reset may not work but read the cv's save the file then write all does, alternately writing from a backup file does. Pain in the backside if you don't own a programmer but simple, if irritating, with a programmer like SPROG or their own one.
The rewriting also works if it apparently dies as long as you didn't actually fry the chip. I've had them lock up twice on 3.5's after an attempt to change address, work fine subsequently.
 
Hi Mark,

it is indeed a Loksound XL V4.0 with sound file 56544. Sorry I didn't name check you directly, but I was in a hurry & I didn't want to rely on my memory to get your company name correct! I did actually speak to you (via email) about purchase of said decoder some way through the 3 month wait for Dragon to come up with the goods.
If you get a chance to load up a decoder, that would be most excellent. I had a quick squint through the documentation I have for the thing last night, & it would seem that the two functions I'm having problems with directly relate to F7 & F8, so maybe it's just a question of trying all of the options on these two areas & seeing what happens?
Cheers, Ian.
 
Just to bring closure to this one, it was as previously mentioned, a matter of making changes to the CVs relevant to the F7 & F8 function buttons. One was easy, as the function button had been disabled (corresponding to the smoke unit not working), so just enabling the function sorted that one. The flashing gutter light problem took a bit more head scratching, but eventually I found that if you select 'dimmable light' rather than 'gutter lights' for the appropriate function, they work perfectly. Put that one down to experience then!
I'm still baffled as to how these values got changed in the first place, as I most definitely didn't go to the function setup page when changing the loco ID number. This is the first ESU decoder/sound unit I've used, & whilst (on this particular loco) the sound is noticeably better (more realistic) than the Massoth version, & the fact that the board doesn't fit in the original position, (mine's still in 'full floating mode' inside the cab), plus I've never had a Massoth unit re-programme itself. I'd have to think hard before buying another one.
Ian.
 
Don't forget to take a full CV roster entry backup now you've got things how they should be!
 
While I've had random lock ups on two engines in five or so years generally I've found them very reliable whether used a lot or only rarely. I think they are more susceptible to interference during programming especially from a handset rather than programmer but I've not had problems ever during running, both mine were when reprogramming the address with LGB and NCE controllers. Neither were fatal for the chip and if you have an ESU, SPROG or similar programmer easy to sort out with a reset or rewriting the file. Personally I'm happy with that to get the better sound response and realisim compared to massoth's simple chuff sounds ;)
 
Thanks for the reminder Nick, that was the first thing I did once I'd determined everything was working as it should! ;D

Valid points Paul, I certainly haven't ruled out going ESU again, hearing the BR64 working it's way around a friends garden yesterday & having his wife comment on how realistic it sounds certainly gained ESU several house points. I want to put sound in my GE 4/4 111 next, I'll need to research into what's available.

Cheers, Ian.
 
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